Naomi Osaka's sharp serving and superior return game has helped her past American Shelby Rogers 6-3 6-4 and into the semi-finals of the US. Open, as the Japanese continues her quest for a second title at Flushing Meadows.
Osaka, who was 0-3 lifetime against Rogers coming into the match, broke at love to take a 5-3 lead in the first set, where Rogers hit 16 unforced errors to Osaka's five and held serve to claim the set.
The fourth-seeded Osaka broke again early in the second set for a 2-1 lead and sealed the win, when Rogers dumped a forehand into the net on match point for her 28th unforced error.
"Honestly, I felt like she had the upper hand because I'd never beaten her and those memories are stuck in my head," said the 22-year-old Osaka, who last faced Rogers in 2017.
"So, yeah, I consider this a little bit of revenge."
Osaka once again had tape wrapped around her left thigh but said it was just as a precaution.
Earlier, American upstart Jennifer Brady continued her surprising surge with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.
The 28th-seeded Brady, who has yet to drop a set at this year's Open, used her massive forehand and impressive court coverage to end Putintseva's bid to become the first Kazakh woman to reach the final four of any 'major'.
Brady, whose lead-up to the US Open included a maiden WTA title at Lexington, had all facets of her game clicking early, as she broke twice to race to a 4-0 lead, before wrapping up the first set in 34 minutes.
Seeded 23rd, Putintseva had no answer in the second set, as Brady broke three times for a 5-2 lead, before sealing the match on her first match point, when she successfully challenged a service return that sailed long.
"I was waiting for the 'out' call," Brady says. "I was pretty confident that it was out, but I was, like, 'I really hope it is out'.
"I didn't want to play another point after that to be honest."
Brady, 25, had never won a set off Putintseva in their two previous career meetings, which both came before the American's breakout season.
"Last couple of times I played her, I got caught into playing her game. I don't think I'm better than her at just running and making balls, so I definitely was a lot more aggressive today."
Up next for Brady will be the winner between former champion and fourth seed Naomi Osaka, and unseeded American Shelby Rogers.
Reuters
